Brilliant Minds, Empty Wallets: The Reality of a UCSC PhD
To become a teaching professor at a university or a research director in industry, a Bachelor’s degree is not enough – you need a Master’s or a PhD. Yet at UCSC, PhD students are still being asked to conduct full-time work for half-time pay –...
Who Pissed in Your Sweet Tea? Y’all Are Wrong About the South
When I was younger, one of the worst things I could be as a southern child was noticeably southern. As a Black woman from the south, I found myself conditioned out of my southern drawl as early as elementary school. I was convinced that saying...
Letter from the Staff
In 2005, Susan Watrous stepped back onto the same campus she had left in her undergrad. Only now, she was in the shoes of her former advisor and friend, Conn Hallinan. When Susan speaks of Conn now, she reflects much on how his mentorship impacted...
Sex and the City on a Hill: Mister Aaron Ace
Hi Laye Texx, I don’t know if this is the right place for this but my question essentially is how do I go about dating as a gay asexual man? All my relationships start with my partner telling me that they’re fine with a purely...
Heated Rivalry: Nobody Can Think Straight
Editor’s Note: Minor spoilers of the show “Heated Rivalry” are included in this piece. We rang in the new year with Stephen Colbert declaring, “I’m a bossy bottom” on national television. It wouldn’t be far off to say that everyone knew what he was referencing....
It’s Not Just the Camps: Japanese Internment and ICE
Editors’ Note: This piece contains descriptions of gun violence, police brutality and incarceration. The term “Nikkei” is used interchangeably with Japanese American and people of Japanese American descent living in the U.S. Eighty-four years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the...
Two Santa Cruz-Accessible Taiwanese Recipes
Editors’ Note: Most ingredients are measured with the heart. Everything in these recipes can be found at local grocery stores. When I first came to UC Santa Cruz, I searched all throughout campus for a good Chinese/Taiwanese meal. As much as the dining halls make...
Be Outraged for All Victims of ICE.
Editors’ Note: This piece contains information regarding gun violence, police brutality and ICE abductions. The day Renee Nicole Good was murdered by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, newsrooms pushed her name to the front pages. Headlines in bold block letters and videos about her death gained...
Are Cultures Just a Trend to You?
When I was little, my family visited my ah ma’s house almost every weekend. I loved the place; a green, flourishing garden right outside the front door perfectly complimented the interior. It was small and cozy, always wafting with the smell of burning incense and...
The Irish in me, the American in you: Trinity Student Perspectives on the U.S. Political Crisis
When I stepped onto Air Canada Flight 800 to Dublin on Sept. 3, 2025, I stepped away from a country in shambles. I stepped away from federal troops being sent into LA and Chicago, a preliminary release of tens of thousands of Epstein-related documents and...